Bauer College Recognized For Supporting Working Families

Published on April 17, 2018

Bauer’s Working Families Agenda Named to AACSB International “Innovations That Inspire” List

The C. T. Bauer College of Business has earned a spot among the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International’s Innovations That Inspire for its commitment to supporting working families.

The third annual “Innovations That Inspire” challenge recognizes institutions from around the world serving as champions of change in the business education landscape, with a specific focus on innovation in leadership development, a key pillar of the accreditation process.

Bauer College’s Working Families Agenda was recognized in the category of “Strengthening the Understanding of Effective Leadership Development,” highlighting how business schools are partnering with industry to gather data-driven insights on the most effective leadership practices and approaches, and is among 30 global institutions who are defining what it means to lead in the face of uncertainty.

In 2015, at the invitation of the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Council of Economic Advisors, Bauer College became a signatory to a set of best practices designed to recruit and retain leaders for the 21st century family friendly workplace. Later that year, the college created the Working Families Agenda (WFA), an initiative whose aim is to research the factors that promote organizational growth via the creation of a working family supportive workplace. Combining the best in research with best practice currently in use in industry, the WFA brings together researchers, corporate partners and regulators committed to this goal.

“For the past two-and-a-half years, we have developed the framework for the Working Families Agenda, assembling an advisory board that includes representation from female leaders in energy, finance, marketing, healthcare, human resources and other industries,” Dean Latha Ramchand said.

The board has helped to guide priorities for interdisciplinary research conducted by Bauer College that will focus on the business implications of family-friendly workplaces (FFWP), along with the characteristics of a FFWP & enforcement of policies related to a FFWP, including FMLA, family leave time and professional development for women/working parents.

“We’ve worked over the last two years to discuss, listen and contribute to a community conversation on working families,” Ramchand added.

In 2016 and 2017, the college held open events, involving both employers and employees as speakers discussed “practices that pay” related to policies for leave, compensation & benefits for a modern workforce. In late 2017, the college also launched a podcast, “How Does She Do It?,” featuring conversations women on their career and personal success. The college’s Executive Education program to hold biannual symposia for women focused on “Bringing Your Whole Self to Work,” & at the undergraduate level, the college has launched a course on women and entrepreneurship.

From this foundation, this year, the college plans to launch the Working Families Roundtable (WFR), an exclusive lunch series designed to share best practice on the topic of family-friendly workplaces. Via focused conversations, attendees will discuss the challenges and opportunities in making workplaces family friendly so as to increase employee engagement and improve productivity.

“The biggest risk to business schools is not the rapid pace of change. It is in failing to prepare the next generation of business leaders to cope with that change,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and CEO of AACSB. “Through its best-in-class leadership development program, the Working Families Agenda at the Bauer College is ensuring that the business leaders of tomorrow will be ready for whatever lies ahead.”

For more information about the Innovations That Inspire Challenge, click here.